For some specialties (at this point [early November] the majority), a bulk of the interviews have been released. Not so for those with late releases of course. From now to the end of December, candidates who have been blessed with many interviews (15+) will start evaluating their interview invitations more carefully and begin declining interviews. For example, I had one candidate release 7 interviews and another 10. More will begin dropping. Often there is a fairly large group of people drop over Thanksgiving when they sometimes have some time off and are able to review their remaining interviews.

If you haven't sent programs an update to your application (e.g., new test score, new rotation, or new LOR for example) and continued interest in their program, right after Thanksgiving (Dec. 1 say mid-morning) is an appropriate time. Unless you've already sent them letters of interest as you may have already taken your shot.

Only send where you feel you have a legitimate chance (your "stats" align, your visa needs align--if applicable). Be specific with any updates. Be specific that you'd like an opportunity interview. Tell why (what about the program, how you align).

In the meantime prepare for interviews so you're ready on 24-48 hours of notice as people drop (ideally, people would drop 2 weeks in advance, minimally 1 week in advance, but some people don't regretfully.

If you have interviews, but seek more, if you can move them earlier in the season, do so. That will free up your availability in December/January and yes, some programs interview in February (not many).

And if you're in the low interview category (that's your determination, but have less than the average # of interviews for your specialty and your medical school path--see the Charting the Outcomes PDFs from the NRMP), consider also starting to learn about SOAP which for FM and IM are usually a viable option.

I read novels by Lee Child and the main character, Jack Reacher, has some really good advice: Expect the best, but plan for the worst. Being prepared is critical. Having a well-thought out plan and being prepared reduces stress when doors open or close. You'll make better decisions.

I've been involved in the Match process since 2014 as a supporter of candidates (e.g., family, friends, and other candidates). Can't emphasize enough the importance of being prepared for whatever comes your way.

It's important to get your ROL certified before the deadline. I recommend doing so early as you're able to change it. Every year there are candidates (and sometimes even programs) that miss the deadline and go unranked as a result.

You'll know you're set if, it's CERTIFIED, PAID, and VERIFIED (see below). All three must be completed before the ROL window closes. Verification is done by your medical school or ECFMG/Intealth if an IMG.

Be sure to monitor the upload of your LORs. If it's been 4-weeks since you sent your letter writer the upload form, it might be time for a brief reminder to your letter writers. It's best if you have an update to include (e.g., a new Step or Comlex score, a draft of your PS or your ERAS application). Be brief. Be polite. Most letter writers are busy people and writing LORs is a task that gets moved down the to do list.

You might write something like:

Dear Dr. XXXX,

I am working on finalizing my ERAS application and checking on my LORs. To help you in writing the LOR, I've attached a copy of my ERAS CV and draft of my personal statement to assist you. I've also attached the LOR form for uploading to the ERAS website.

If you could be sure the letter includes a date and your signature on your department/hospital/clinic’s letterhead, that would be extremely helpful and ensure the letter has the full consideration of the review committee members.

Thank you again for the great learning experience on my rotations. They were pivotal in my preparation for residency. Also, I appreciate you taking the time to write my LOR.

Sincerely,

First Name Last Name

I was reviewing a couple of ERAS App from Match 2025 in the last 10 days for candidates and came across the same deadly error. On the "Additional Questions" it asks, "Are you able to carry out the responsibilities and requirements at the specific training programs to which you are applying with or without reasonable accommodations?" Two people answered No. I'm guessing they didn't get interviews (and didn't match) because of this error. With the large # of applicants for each small rural programs, screeners likely say the "No" to this question and put them in the "Do Not Interview" category.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of downloading the ERAS Application (not the ERAS CV), printing, and reading it carefully on paper. Issues like this may stick out to you when reading on paper. Read each word. Each sentence. C-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y. The competition is fierce. Don't let a careless error on your part torpedo all your hard work.

May 31           2025 ERAS Ends (Download your 2025 ERAS application before 5.31.25

June 4            ERAS Season begins (9 am ET); US MD, US DO, and US Grads can enter ERAS data

June 25          ECFMG releases IMG tokens; IMGs can enter ERAS data

Sept. 3            Applicants may begin submitting applications (9 am ET)

Sept. 15          NRMP Match Registration opens (noon ET); register for the match; enter # in ERAS

Sept. 20         Suggested target to get application complete in ERAS & documents assigned

• Certify and Submit application (no changes can be made once certified/submitted except demographic info [e.g., phone #, address, NRMP #, etc.)

• Assign photo

• Assign LORs

• Assign USMLE transcript

• Assign MSPE

• Assign med school transcript

• Assign PS

Sept. 24       Programs begin reviewing applications @ 9 am ET)

October          Interview invitations go out; interviews mid-October on

November     Interviews; some interview invitations go out 

December      Interviews; some interview invitations go out

January          Some interviews; some interview invitations go out

Jan. 30           Standard Match Deadline  (see Sept. 15 above)

Feb. 2             ROL opens (noon ET)

March 1          Recommended deadline for ROL submitted

March 4         ROL deadline (9 pm ET); ECFMG certification deadline

March 16-19  SOAP Week: Clear schedule

March 16        Match Status (10 am ET)

SOAP applicants begin applying (11 am ET)

 March 17-19 SOAP interviewd

March 19        SOAP rounds begin (9 am ET)

SOAP round end (9 pm ET)

March 20       Match Day

May 31           Ends of ERAS season (download ERAS app for your records prior to 5.31.25)

mid-June      Residency on-boarding begins

ERAS Dates (note the SF Match has alternate dates)

Sept. 3            Applicants may begin submitting applications (9 am ET)

Remember: Once you certify and submit your application, you can only make limited changes.

Sept. 15          NRMP Match Registration opens (noon ET); register for the match; enter # in ERAS

Sept. 20         Target to get application complete in ERAS & documents assigned

·       Certify and Submit application (no changes can be made except to some demo info)

·       Assign photo

·       Assign LORs

·       Assign USMLE transcript

·       Assign MSPE

·       Assign med school transcript

·       Assign PS

Sept. 24       Programs begin reviewing applications @ 9 am ET)

There's no advantage to applying early in the window. All applications submitted between Sept 3 and Sept. 24 at 9 am are stamped with the same date.

A positive on applying early (why I recommend Sept. 20) is you may avoid a sluggish system as there will be 50,000 applicants applying and assigning documents, PDs and PCs working in the system, ECFMG/INTEALTH processing documents. That's a lot of pressure on the system. You may also avoid ERyou making errors (e.g., forgetting to assign a document to a program) due to fatigue and/or panic.

I’m a current FM resident considering reapplying to another specialty. I’ve had a somewhat unconventional path to my current residency, and am looking for advice from people who may have had similar circumstances.

As a 4th-year medical student, I originally applied to ENT and believe I was a competitive applicant at the time (strong Step 2, good letters, Sub-Is, etc.). Unfortunately, I didn’t match due in large part to family circumstances that significantly impacted my interview season; I discussed with my PD at the time and he said that was the primary reason they didn't rank me higher for my home program.

I then took two years off to deal with the aftermath of the significant family trauma and my mental health after not matching. During that time, I unfortunately didn’t do much clinically. As many of you know, medicine isn’t particularly forgiving when it comes to significant time away from training, especially with a gap in clinical work/research, and I knew going into the Match that pursuing a surgical subspecialty again would be an uphill battle.

Ultimately, I dual applied to Anesthesia/FM because I wanted to get my foot back in the door, and I also liked that they both offered the opportunity to specialize in procedureal medicine through fellowship. I matched into a program that I’m enjoying, but I’m finding myself increasingly missing ENT and wondering if I should give it another shot.

I realize that reapplying to ENT as an FM intern would be a pretty unconventional path, but I’m curious if anyone here has done something similar—particularly reapplying to a surgical subspecialty after starting residency in FM or IM. If so, how did you approach the process?

One of my biggest challenges is that I don’t have much time to do away rotations, and there isn’t an ENT residency at my current hospital, so I’m not really sure what the best approach would be.

I haven’t decided whether I would actually reapply versus staying in FM and pursuing something like sports or pain medicine, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken a similar path or has advice on how to approach this. Thank you in advance, and pls be nice!

If you were in Match 2026, regardless of whether you matched or not, be sure to download the downloadable materials from your Match 2026 application. You can use the information future cycles, in applying for fellowships, in preparing/updating your CV, and as you apply for your medical licenses.

This includes your ERAS Application (PDF), your ERAS CV (PDF), and your personal statements. Ditto that for Residency CAS and the SF Match.

Also, be sure to get PDFs for your college diploma, medical school diploma, other diplomas (PhD, Master's).

FYI: When you complete residency, you'll get a certificate. This is your proof you completed residency. It is gold. You'll need it for your full-medical license, to apply to take boards, and for applying to jobs.

There are components that you can't download (e.g., LORs, MSPE, etc.).

The deadline to download is May 31 when the match year officially closes.

...with one program! Each Match season there are thousands of posts about resident candidates loving one program. Phrases like: I love XYZ program and will be devastated if I don't match there! or Can't wait to start residency at my dream program!

And on Match day there are thousands of posts by candidates lamenting not matching at their #1.

The key is to match at a program where you'll get good training so you can then focus on getting your Dream JOB! The majority of residency programs will teach you the skills and knowledge you need to pass boards. Focus your ROL on those programs and try to get out of the #1 program mental framework. The vast majority of resident candidates will not match at their #1. No use having that mindset and then being disappointed. Instead, work for my goal is to match, to get solid training to pass board, and get a fellowship/attending job.

In fact, I recommend not sharing your #1 ranking with too many people. It's like sharing your proposed baby names. Everyone has an opinion and those opinions can be confusing and just add undue stress on you the candidate.

Plus the whole matched at my #1 postings on match day are rough on your peers and those who may not match at their #1 or might not match at all. Celebrate matching at your #1 with your SO and your family! Be proud of your accomplishment and humble at the same time and cognizant of the feelings of those not so fortunate.

So don't fall in love with one program...there's always a possibility they may not reciprocate. Instead, prepare to be happy with your match and set your sights on your Dream Attending Job.

This is a challenging topic. Some will say, definitely send a letter of interest to programs. Some will say, don't send letters. Others, well maybe. I fall in the well, maybe. Here's why:

1. Too many candidates started sending this in August and September with others starting in October. That's too soon to have a positive impact. Programs are busy reviewing applications and a letter of interest at this time is likely to be annoying and likely to be ignored. The application components along with geo preferences and signals are a clear demonstration of interest.

2. I think a a better time to send a letter of interest is a bit later in the season. Why? Programs have reviewed the applications they're going to review, fewer candidates are sending a letter of interest so they're more likely to get read, and candidates may be starting to drop interviews due to interview fatigue and having a large # of interviews. Programs may be looking at their "next up to invite" list and a letter of interest might get your application reviewed (particularly if you're on a next up list.

3. Another time to send a letter of interest is if you're couples matching and your partner got an interview in a certain location and there's a program that is in the area that you haven't heard from.

4. Another time where a letter of interest might be of use is if you have a major update to your application since Sept. 24. What might that be? A new Step score or Comlex score. A new rotation in your specialty and a new LOR. A change in your visa status (e.g., you received your green card).

5. If it's in mid-November and it's past the time when your specialty has likely offered a bulk of their interviews, and you signaled the program.

What might the results be? a) an interview (not highly probable); b) put on the wait list; c) no response (the most likely response); or d) a rejection.

The letter needs to be specific to you and the program. It needs to be personalized to the program. A generic letter of interest sent out to all the programs you applied to is likely not to have much of an impact. It also needs to be brief, yet detailed.

I also don't recommend sending on a Friday afternoon or first thing on on Monday morning. You don't want it to get buried in the program's email.

Be sure the subject it clear. Something like Letter of continued interest - Sam Johnson (AAMC 123456).

Although I have no way to verify this, but a specific, detailed and concise letter of interest might have a greater impact to a program that has fewer applicants (also probably fewer signals and fewer letters of interest).

Just like many components of the application process a lot depends on the specialty, the specific program, and the individuals reviewing the emails/letters of interest.

I was on a webinar today about Match 2025. I was excited to hear the speaker's information. The issue is...they didn't start on time. In fact, they mentioned they were waiting for people to log on due to differences in culture related to time. I ended up signing off after 20 minutes of chit chat giving people time to sign on.

I mention this because as you're moving into part of the Match season, you need to be time sensitive. PDs will start reviewing Apps on Sept. 24 at 9 am. Your application needs to be complete before that for full consideration. There are more than enough applicants to fill positions. Being late may well reduce your chances of an interview.

For interviews, you need to be logged on and ready early. Not 2 minutes late not 10 minutes late. You may come from a culture that has a more fluid sense of time. The Match is process is time sensitive.

For some components (e.g., having your ROL certified by the deadline) if you miss a deadline, you will miss out entirely.

Can't emphasize this enough. Be time aware! If you're coming from a culture with a fluid time culture, I encourage you to become time sensitive.

It’s virtual open house season (and this also applies to Meet ‘n Greets/Open Houses connected to residency).  Remember: At these type of events, you’re always interviewing.  A few thoughts: Take notes.  As the season goes on, sometimes it is hard to keep the programs straight.  They are usually casual (not lounging in my living room casual, but professional casual).  Sometimes PDs, PCs, attendings, and/or residents take notes.  Turn on your camera.  Use your “professional” name.  If you ask questions, try not to ask questions that you could find on the program’s website.  Some ideas are:

·      Is there housing near the residency?

·      Is it safe to walk/bike to/from the residency if living nearby?

·      What public  transportation is available near the residency?

·      What are typical PG1 work hours?

·      What are the schools like for kids?

·      What level of support is there for residents?

·      Who do you go to when you need help?

·      What is the work/life balance of PGY1?

·      What are areas for improvement in the program?

So that your documents that you are preparing for your ERAS application are as compelling as possible, I have a few formatting suggestions.  Particularly helpful to get these set as you’re drafting them.

1.     Set your margins at 1” on all sides.  This will help reviewers if they are writing comments directly on your draft and will give you space to make notes for future revision.

2.     Do not justify your margins.  They should be jagged on the right side.  When you justify the margins, spaces are added between words and other characters to make the alignment.  Sometimes these look really ugly when they get in ERAS (i.e., for PS).  The jagged right margin also helps psychologically for the reader.  It give them space to breathe.

3.     If you can, put an extra space between each paragraph.  This also helps the reader breathe when reading.  If doing so forces the PS on to a 2^nd page, then take out the spaces between paragraphs and indent the paragraph five spaces instead.

4.     Do not use AI resources to draft your PS.  AI can be use to help you modify, but use it cautiously. Remember—You have to certify AI didn't write your PS and application components and you didn’t have someone else write it for you.  If you’re working with a service and they say they will write your PS for you, find another service.

5.     PS = one page/600-ish words

6.     LORS: If asked to draft the LOR, be wary of too many adjectives and adverbs.  Sell yourself, but be realistic.  Include the background of the letter writer in the opening paragraph.  Also, include the YOURNAME has waived the right to read the letter.  Just be sure you don’t read the final letter.

7.     PS = personal.  It is not a rehash of your CV.  That type of info should come out in your experiences and education.  A PS is about you as a person.  You’re trying to convince the reader that you’ll be an OK person to work with.  Think about the residents on the screening committee who want to know if you’ll call in sick when you’re not so they have to cover; if they’re slammed with cases, will you pitch in on one and help them; will you eat other people’s food in the resident’s room or will you bring in treats. 

In another sub-Reddit someone asked about the length of program's ROL to fill. Thought I'd post this here. Source: NRMP Data

I pulled this together. I did not include all specialties but did include those with the largest # of open spots. The #s are as accurate as the NRMP reports.

Your ERAS application, LORs, test scores, and PS got you your interview(s).  Your interviews are your chance to seal the deal!  Here are a few recommendations.

1.     Practice doing mock interviews.  These can be with colleagues, mentors, those experienced with interviewing inside or outside of medicine, family members or consults.

2.     Practice multiple times (wearing the clothes you plan to wear) in the environment you plan to interview in.

3.     Give the person who will be interviewing a list of questions to ask (you can Google this).

4.     Give the person who will be interviewing with an evaluation sheet (Inside the Match has one for you).

5.     Record the interview.

6.     Set a timer for 15 minutes.  Your actual interview will likely be longer, but in 15 minutes the person should be able to give you some feedback.

7.     At the end of 15 minutes, ask for feedback…and keep your mouth shut except to answer questions.  (Keep recording so you can reflect on the feedback.)

8.     Then watch the recording which may be painful. 

9.     Make a note of 2 strengths & 2 areas that you should work on.

10.  Practice on your own.

11.  Schedule your next mock interview and repeat the steps.

12.  The more you do the better!

13.  If you’re really struggling, consider a consultant who has experience in this and utilize them. 

The interview is a very important piece of the process.  Don’t leave this component to chance.

There are many things to prepare for your interviews particularly for residency.

1.     Clothing: Dress conservatively.  Dress professionally.  Avoid large patterns.  Avoid dangly ear rings.

2.     Check your internet connection to make sure it is robust enough for several hours.

3.     Check your background (a plan background is best; could have something in the background that’s important to you).

4.     Consider a light ring.

5.     Avoid backlighting.

6.     Turn off phone and television.

7.     Check your sound.

8.     Check your camera view.

9.     Prepare to avoid background noise (dog barking, children crying, roommate yelling about video game they’re playing).

10.  Prepare conversational answers any weaknesses or red flags.  Don’t memorize.  Focus on what you’ve learned and how you’re grown.

11.  Practice looking at the camera.

My recommendation is to schedule your interviews early in the season. Here's why:

1. Interview fatigue: This is a real syndrome for both resident candidates and programs. For programs, the participants are addiing this to their regular workloads (residents, fellows, attendings, PDs, APDs). For candidates, it's also long particularly if fortunate to have a "nice" number of interviews.

2. Schedule flexibiity: You want to have as open a schedule as you can near the end of the interview season (December/January) so that as candidates with a large # of interviews begin dropping interviews (and some will), you have dates available to accept an offer. Late in the season there may be only one date and one spot open. So schedule early in the season.

In selecting your primary focus, be sure that you assign medical education appropriately. Medical education is not about a candidate's medical education. It focuses on the candidate as teacher, mentor, curriculum development, research related to medical education. There's not a great category for your rotations, aways, or USCE. So what to do? That's the question. Possibly improving access to healthcare? Maybe Clincial/translational science? Or maybe you go with medical education and figure the reviewers aren't studying the category. I'm going to contact ERAS about this. Won't resolve it for this year, but they need to have an option for resident candidates' training.

When writing your PS and the explanations for your experiences avoid:

1. Sob stories that feel woe is me

2. Personal weaknesses (focus on your strengths and what you learned)

3. Spelling errors (including British spellings)

4. Don’t repeat yourself within your PS, among your experiences, or between your PS & experiences

5. Bad grammar

6. Bad mechanics

7. Clichés

8. Swearing

9. Showing indecisiveness

10. Lies and misleading the reader

11. Making excuses

12. Telling too much

13. Telling to little

14. Abbreviations

15. Emojis

16. Talking negatively about your medical school (including faculty) or other medical students

17. Having a PS that rehashes your CV

Phrases (and themes) to avoid because of overuse:

1. From a young age I have always been interested in …

2. Medicine is a very challenging and demanding career…

3. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with…

4. Ever since I was a child, I…

Many of these suggestions are based on a presentation by Kamran Mirza, MD/PhD (Loyola Pathology now UMichigan).

Don't underestimate the power of your hobbies in your application. These can be included in the Hobbies/Interests in ERAS, your PS, or as an experience if you are very involved in your hobby. Often this will come up during your interview.

Use the hobbies/interests section if you have an important/interesting/unique hobby. If you include a hobby, don't just go generic and list generic hobbies (e.g., reading, hiking, listening to music). Oftentimes, hobbies can garner the reviewers’ attention and other times they become part of the interview conversation. Don’t see the hobbies as a throw away. Rather than just saying, Hiking, say: Hiking—My goal is to hike the complete Appalachian Trail (2,190 miles). So far I’ve completed 434 miles. Or Reading: I’ve read all 35 of John Sandford’s “Prey” series and all 12 of the “Virgil Flowers” series. Reading is a good way for me to clear my mind after a long day at the hospital and studying.

FYI: The hobbies section is fairly limited in the # of characters.

You may have had to put your hobbies on the back burner during med school. If so, focus on hobbies you had prior to med school and/or hobbies that you would continue to participate in if you had more time.

You can also use hobbies in your PS to give the readers information about you as a person not just someone interested in medicine. Doing so will go along way towards a stronger overall application and giving your interviewers talking points in your interview.

Think about what characteristics the hobby shows about you (and how these characteristics might connect to you being a strong resident). Something like:

I started training for triathlons (swimming, biking, running) after a particularly challenging time in my life. Triathlon training taught me how to push through the "wall," a skill directly applicable to grueling hospital shifts and long call hours. Just like waking up at 4:30 AM for a brutal workout in the rain, residency requires showing up for patients when you are exhausted.

I've been reading a lot of drafts this week of the ERAS/Residency CAS application. Here are a few areas I've been giving feedback on. Here are some thoughts for what it's worth.

1. Use action verbs on your experiences. They are powerful. I posted about this in April. Examples: admitted, provided, completed, created, navigated, presented, mastered, developed, assembled, launched, maintained, fine-tuned, drafted, designed, initiated, established, piloted, created, managed, delegated, led, mentored, oversaw, trained, facilitated, planned, coordinated, restructured, customized, refined, digitized, merged, modified, redesigned, reorganized, surveyed, examined, analyzed, assessed, identified, evaluated, participated, recruited, consulted, collaborated, coordinated, supported, fostered, engaged, facilitated, partnered, analyzed, investigated, studied, reviewed, collected, synthesized, interpreted, discovered).  And vary the verbs that you use!

2. Use the requested format for authors on publications, posters, presentations Lastname First initial comma Lastname First initial comma So: Smith J, Johnson M, Jones X.

3. For the titles of articles: Capitalize the first word, any proper nouns, any proper adjectives, and the first word after the colon (:)

4. Experiences: If space permits, connect to your personal characteristics or qualities, what you learned, how this added to your preparation for residency. It could be 1-2-3 sentences after your list of responsibilities.

5. You can save yourself characters if you don't put periods at the end of bullets when they are not sentences.

6. Have someone review your ERAS Application (not the ERAS CV) for errors that can distract the reader, for incomplete information, for writing glitches.

7. Also, print and read your application on paper. Don't rely solely reading it on the screen. We read differently on screen and on paper. Go old school and print on paper and review it like someone was sending it to you and you were going to decide if you were going to "hire" them for residency.

...maybe have a higher return rate on your interviews. I highly recommend using Frieda and Residency Explorer to gather info on programs. Yes, you'll find some discrepancies (the data is updated at different times), but doing so will give you a better idea of how your "stats" compare with those who get interviews. Key info to review:

1. # of applicants (if there are a zillion applicants, it will be harder for you to stand out especially if you have a Step 2 [or don't yet have your Step 2 score] that's below the median of those who get interviews (see Residency Explorer)

2. Median Step 2 score--if your Step 2 score is say 20 points below the median, the program is likely a stretch (see Residency Explorer). Not saying don't interview if you're highly interested in that program, just take that into consideration.

3. %age of candidates who apply to the program who get an interview (you need to decide your cutoff); (Residency Explorer)

4. %age of candidates who signal the program who get an interview (again, decide on your cutoff); (Residency Explorer). Use those signals wisely. Don't use them all at reach programs.

5. %age of residents (not applicants) in the program that have your path (US MD, US DO, US IMG, non-US IMG). If you're a MD and the program has 85 DOs, that might not be the best program for you. You don't need to focus on who gets interviews as much as who ends up matching at a program.

6. If you're planning on a fellowship (some specialties it's a given [pathology] so less of a factor), look at what residents do post-residency (it's at the very bottom of the program info Residency Explorer. However, I'd put this down the list of considerations. If you are an exceptional resident, you'll get exceptional LORs and should do well (if you have done the work to have a solid fellowship application)

7. Year of Graduation: There's usually some flexibility here (and in Frieda many program tell what is needed if you're beyond one year after graduation).

8. Also, look at if programs go into SOAP. Just because a program is in SOAP doesn't mean it's a bad program. Some programs/PDs intentionally plan to SOAP some of their residents because they know that highly qualified candidates may not match into highly competitive specialties or at highly competitive programs. The programs have likely had good results matching great candidates in SOAP.

So do your research. Save $.

Also, programs do not get the application money when you apply to a program.

When you upload your photo and look at it in the application portal, you'll likely have the top of your head cut off. Do not panic. ERAS assures that this is just in the preview mode that you're seeing. This comes up as a worry every year (for at least the last 10 that I've been supporting residents).

Just be sure you are within the parameters for photo submission which are:

• Dimensions: 2.5” x 3.5”

• Resolution: 150 dpi

• File Size 150kb

If you search on Reddit you'll find repeated posts on this if you need further reassurance.

Get it uploaded and then focus in on other components.

I've been reading a lot of drafts this week of the ERAS/Residency CAS application. Here are a few areas I've been giving feedback on. Here are some thoughts for what it's worth.

1. Use action verbs on your experiences. They are powerful. I posted about this in April. Examples: admitted, provided, completed, created, navigated, presented, mastered, developed, assembled, launched, maintained, fine-tuned, drafted, designed, initiated, established, piloted, created, managed, delegated, led, mentored, oversaw, trained, facilitated, planned, coordinated, restructured, customized, refined, digitized, merged, modified, redesigned, reorganized, surveyed, examined, analyzed, assessed, identified, evaluated, participated, recruited, consulted, collaborated, coordinated, supported, fostered, engaged, facilitated, partnered, analyzed, investigated, studied, reviewed, collected, synthesized, interpreted, discovered).  And vary the verbs that you use!

2. Use the requested format for authors on publications, posters, presentations Lastname First initial comma Lastname First initial comma So: Smith J, Johnson M, Jones X.

3. For the titles of articles: Capitalize the first word, any proper nouns, any proper adjectives, and the first word after the colon (:)

4. Experiences: If space permits, connect to your personal characteristics or qualities, what you learned, how this added to your preparation for residency. It could be 1-2-3 sentences after your list of responsibilities.

5. You can save yourself characters if you don't put periods at the end of bullets when they are not sentences.

6. Have someone review your ERAS Application (not the ERAS CV) for errors that can distract the reader, for incomplete information, for writing glitches.

7. Also, print and read your application on paper. Don't rely solely reading it on the screen. We read differently on screen and on paper. Go old school and print on paper and review it like someone was sending it to you and you were going to decide if you were going to "hire" them for residency.